Dramatic video shows roof being ripped off house as severe weather hits WNY
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – The National Weather Service confirmed two tornados hit Western New York on Wednesday as the remnant storms from Hurricane Beryl blew through the region.
An EF-1 tornado with wind speeds up to 110 mph hit the Chautauqua County town of Arkwright at approximately 12:06 p.m., damaging trees and homes along a three-mile path before ending in Hanover. The tornado reached a maximum width of 150 yards, the NWS found.
A dramatic video seen in the video player above showed part of a roof being ripped off a home in Arkwright as the tornado raged past.
The second tornado touched down in Eden at 12:40 p.m., according to the NWS. Although the tornado was qualified as an EF-0, with wind speeds reaching 85 mph, significant damage was caused by fallen trees in an area near the intersection of Gary Drive and Sauer Road. A State of Emergency was declared for the town.
The Eden tornado reached a maximum with of 75 yards while traveling 0.9 miles.
No fatalities were reported from the severe weather as of Wednesday evening, though there were a few minor injuries.
More than 25,000 power outages were reported in Erie County at the height of the storms just after 1 p.m., but that number was down to a few thousand by Wednesday evening.
Wednesday's storms are believed to be the first tornados to hit Western New York since an EF-2 touched down in Wyoming County in 2022.
Severe thunderstorms and an isolated tornado risk were in the forecast for the region Wednesday, along with strong wind gusts and heavy rain that could produce localized flooding. Much of WNY was projected to see 1-2 inches of rain Wednesday, according to the 4Warn Weather team, with some areas potentially reaching higher numbers.
After a chaotic afternoon, most of Western New York was removed from a Tornado Watch just before 5 p.m., though it remained in Allegany County until later Wednesday night.
The NWS issued several updated Tornado Warnings on Wednesday.
The initial Tornado Warning was issued for parts of Chautauqua County and expired at 12:15 p.m. The second update was issued for southern Erie County at 12:24 p.m. and grew to include central Erie County and portions of northwestern Wyoming County and southwestern Genesee County as the storm moved across the area.
Separate Tornado Warnings were issued Wednesday afternoon for southeastern Chautauqua County and western Cattaraugus County, including the city of Jamestown; and another warning over Allegany County and Potter County, Pa.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
